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13967335769Loose Sentencebegins with a main clause that is followed by phrases and/or clauses that modify the main clause. These phrases or clauses add information to the main or independent clause.0
13967335770Periodic Sentencea sentence that, by leaving the completion of its main clause to the end, produces an effect of suspense.1
13967335771Litotes/Understatementa figure of speech in which a negative statement is used to affirm a positive statement.2
13967335772Warrantexpresses the assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience.3
13967335773Ethosan appeal to ethics and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader.4
13967335774Pathosan appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response.5
13967335775Logosan appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason.6
13967335776Concessionan acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable.7
13967335777SyllogismA logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion.8
13967335778Major premisecontains the term that is the predicate of the conclusion.9
13967335779Minor premisecontains the term that is the subject of the conclusion.10
13967335780Inductiona logical process wherein you reason from particulars to universal, using specific cases in order to draw a conclusion, which is also called a generalization.11
13967335781Deductiona logical process wherein you reach a conclusion by starting with a general principle or universal truth (a major premise).12
13967335782Equivocationa fallacy of argument in which a lie is given the appearance of truth, or in which the truth is misrepresented in deceptive language.13
13967335783Refutationa denial of the validity of an opposing argument.14
13967335784Dictiona speaker's choice of words. Analysis of diction looks at these choices and what they add to the speaker's message.15
13967335785Similea figure of speech used to explain or clarify an idea by comparing it explicitly to something else, using words like, as, or as though.16
13967335786Metaphorfigure of speech that compares two unlike things without using like or as.17
13967335787Anaphorathe intentional repetition of beginning clauses in order to create an artistic effect.18
13967335788Rhetoricit is the art of finding ways of persuading an audience.19
13967335789Allusionbrief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) to to a work of art.20
13967335790Hyperboledeliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point.21
13967335791Personificationattribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea.22
13967335792Asyndetonomission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.23
13967335793Polysyndetonthe deliberate use of multiple conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses or words.24
13967335794Parallelismsimilarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.25
13967335795Antithesisopposition, or contrast or ideas or words in a parallel construction.26
13967335796Enumerationto mention separately as if in counting; name one by one; specify, as in list27
13967335797Chiasmusthe reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases. Ex.) He went to the country, the country went to him.28
13967335798RebuttalIn the Toulon model, a rebuttal gives voice to possible objections.29
13967335799Fallacy of Argumenta flaw in the structure of an argument that renders its conclusion invalid or suspect.30
13967335800Bandwagon Appeala fallacy of argument in which a course of action is recommended on the grounds that everyone else is following it.31
13967335801Begging the Questiona fallacy of argument in which a claim is based on the very grounds that are in doubt or dispute.32
13967335802Modes of DiscourseExposition- illustrates a point Narration- tells a story Description- creates a sensory image Argumentation- takes a position on an issue and defends it.33
13967335803Examplea specific event, person, or detail of an idea cited and/or developed to support or illustrate a thesis or topic.34
13967335804Contrast/ Comparisona method of presenting similarities and differences between or among at least two persons, places, things, ideas, etc. may be organized by: Subject by subject Point by point Combination35
13967335805Cause and Effectestablishes a relationship: B is the result of A.36
13967335806Classificationseparates items into major categories and details the characteristics of each group is placed within the category.37
13967335807Processsimply "how to" do something is done. It can have one of two purposes. It can either give instructions or inform the reader about how something is done.38
13967335808Definitionidentifies the class to which a specific term belongs and those characteristics which make it different from all the other items in that class.39
13967335809Narrationis nothing more than storytelling. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end.40
13967335810Descriptionwriting that appeals to the senses. It can be objective, which is scientific or clinical, or it can be impressionistic, which tries to involve the reader's emotions or feelings.41
13967335811False Dilemma or Dichotomya fallacy of argument in which a complicated issue is misrepresented as offering only two possible alternatives, one of which is often made to seem vastly preferable to the other.42
13967335812Hasty generalizationa fallacy of argument in which an inference is drawn from insufficient data.43
13967335813Non sequitora fallacy of argument in which claims, reasons, or warrants fail to connect logically; one point doesn't follow from another.44
13967335825AllegoryThe device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. A story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself.45
13967335826AlliterationThe repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells").46
13967335827AmbiguityThe multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.47
13967335828AnalogyA similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.48
13967335829AntecedentThe word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.49
13967335830AphorismA terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.)50
13967335831ApostropheA prayer like figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer.51
13967335832AtmosphereThe emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described.52
13967335833Caricaturea verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics.53
13967335834ClauseA grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.54
13967335835Colloquial/ColloquialismThe use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.55
13967335836Literary ConceitA fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects; displays intellectual cleverness through unusual comparisons that make good sense56
13967335837ConnotationThe non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.57
13967335838DenotationThe strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.58
13967335839DidacticFrom the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching."59
13967335840EuphemismFrom the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept - POLITICALLY CORRECT60
13967335841Extended MetaphorA metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.61
13967335842Figurative LanguageWriting or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid62
13967335843Figure of speechA device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apotrophe hyperbole irony metaphor oxymoron paradox personification simile syneddoche understatement63
13967335844GenreThe major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.64
13967335845HomilyThis term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.65
13967335846ImageryThe sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.66
13967335847Inference/inferTo draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.67
13967335848Invectivean emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.68
13967335849Irony/ironicThe contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true.69
13967335850Loose sentence/non-periodic sentenceA type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.70
13967335851MetaphorA figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.71
13967335852MetonymyA figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.72
13967335853MoodThe prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work.73
13967335854NarrativeThe telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.74
13967335855OnomatopoeiaA figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.75
13967335856OxymoronOxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.76
13967335857ParadoxA statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.77
13967335858ParodyA work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.78
13967335859PedanticAn adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as "show-offy"; using big words for the sake of using big words).79
13967335860Periodic sentenceThe opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.80
13967335861PersonificationA figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.81
13967335862Point of viewIn literature, the perspective from which a story is told.82
13967335863Prosewritten or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.83
13967335864RepetitionThe duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.84
13967335865SarcasmInvolves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.85
13967335866SatireA work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule.86
13967335867Subordinate clauseLike all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, this clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought.87
13967335868SyllogismA deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called "major" and the second called "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.88
13967335869Symbol/symbolismGenerally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else.89
13967335870SyntaxThe way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.90
13967335871ThemeThe central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life.91
13967335872ThesisThe sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position.92
13967335873ToneDescribes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both.93
13967335874TransitionA word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, effectively signal a shift from one idea to another.94
13967335875Understatementthe ironic minimalizing of fact; presents something as less significant than it is.95
13967335876Witin modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights.96
13967335877Slippery SlopeThis is the failure to provide evidence to support a claim that one event will lead to a catastrophic chain of events.97
13967335878Straw manWhen a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak.98
13967335879JuxtapositionMaking on idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite.99
13967335880Rhetorical QuestionA question whose answer is assumed.100
13967335881rhetorical appealthe persuasive devices by which a writer tries to sway an audience's attention and response to any given work. See logos, ethos, and pathos.101
13967335882descriptive detailWhen an essay uses this phrase, look for the writer's sensory description.102
13967335883AnecdoteA brief story that illustrates or makes a point103
13967335884Appeal to authorityA fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a famous person or institution.104
13967335885Argumentationone of the four forms of discourse which uses logic, ethics, and emotional appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) to develop an effective means to convince the reader to think or act in a certain way.105
13967335886AssonanceRepetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity106
13967335887toneA speaker's, author's, or character's disposition toward or opinion of a subject.107
13967335888audienceOne's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed.108
13967335889Begging the questionOften called circular reasoning, __ occurs when the believability of the evidence depends on the believability of the claim.109
13967335814understatement"I have to have this operation. It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain." Holden Caulfield, Catcher in the Rye110
13967335815allusionThe rise in poverty will unlock the Pandora's box of crimes.111
13967335816hyperbole"I'll love you, dear, I'll love you/Till China and Africa meet,/And the river jumps over the mountain"112
13967335817invective"I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth." Jonathan Swift Gulliver's Travels113
13967335818antithesis"To err is human; to forgive divine." Alexander Pope "An Essay on Criticism"114
13967335819euphemism"I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs." William Shakespeare Othello115
13967335820paradox"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." -Gandhi116
13967335821alliteration"His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead."117
13967335822oxymoron"Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing. / Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, / That I shall say good night till it be morrow."118
13967335823personification"Pearl Button swung on the little gate in front of the House of Boxes. It was the early afternoon of a sunshiny day with little winds playing hide-and-seek in it."119

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